The Future Leaves Nothing Behind
by SugarGlazed
Summary: How was she to know that on that day humanity would be turned to stone? All she wanted was to let Senkuu know that she had fallen in love with him. The words came out, but the world went to rest before she received her closure. Will she ever get it? Or will Nozomi have to live with the guilt for the rest of her everlasting afterlife?
1. Wake Me Up

I do not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).

This is a short. Please enjoy.

* * *

She never even saw it coming, and strangely enough, neither did he. The entire human race went to rest that day; the same day Nozomi confessed her deepest secret to the person she admired the most.

Her timing was precise, right down to the second her body was converted to stone. A huge weight felt like it had been lifted, but out of time, her declaration of guilt received no closure. The last thing she saw before darkness took her was the look of surprise on his face.

This image stayed with her for over three hundred decades. Was it because of her that Senkuu looked so alarmed? She never meant to put him on the spot, but at the time, her control was running thin. It was all her fault, not having a better hold on her emotions. She let Taiju get under her skin and talk her into confessing to him.

It was a mistake; one she'd never get to chance to right. Inside she was crying for mercy. Her lungs filled with air, but no sound came out. Nozomi just laid there, inches away from where she knew Senkuu had been. It was hard to imagine, like she was trapped in a dream she'd never wake up from. All she could think about was apologizing for being a rotten friend; all she wanted was the chance to make it right.

One unforgettable afternoon, a surge of light woke her. The stone exoskeleton around her body splintered and fell away. Nozomi cried out in shock. She leapt up from the cavity she formed in the thick earth and gasped for air. It wasn't that she couldn't breathe correctly, but because she was lying face down, her fear of tight spaces overwhelmed her. Fat warm tears clouded her bright eyes as she wept loudly.

Was this a dream? Had by some miracle her hopes been answered? She wasn't sure, but what she did know was that she was alive. _I need to calm down and stop being a coward. Or else I won't last an hour, wherever I am. _

Aware that she was naked and covered in mud, Nozomi picked herself up and stumbled over to the cavity she had been lying in. The pieces of stone that once covered her laid in a messy heap; a three dimensional model of herself shattered beyond repair. She found no reason to put them back together and left them as is.

_I was mistaken. My body didn't turn into stone; it was a husk. _But how did she break out? In hopes of finding the answer, Nozomi glanced around the area. She was in a dense wooded region, from the looks of it. But how did she get here? Last place she remembered being was inside the school.

Her eyes widened in revelation. _Senkuu. _He had been near her when she petrified. Was he still around? From the looks of it, no. A broken husk of stone laid near her, pieced together like someone had tried to rebuild themselves. Knowing him, the genius had probably already figured out something that she could not see. But where was he? Did he leave any clues?

Nozomi tried to follow in his footsteps. She knew that the most logical thing to do was to stay alive. Figuring out the root of the situation could wait.

_I need to find a water source, then maybe I can make something to wear. _She knew that eventually the sun would go down and she would need to build a fire; tools were essential for this. The list went on. Nozomi sighed in exhaustion, but urged herself to get moving. Her eyes wandered over to the spot where Senkuu had been resting and frowned.

_Soon … give me a little more time. Please don't be mad at me; please Senkuu. _


	2. Endless Lonely Days

A third and final chapter was added, because I enjoy writing this short. It was intended to be a two part OS, but it works better this way.

The inspiration for this short is based around the lyrics of Afterlife by Amaranthe and the lyrics of Rolling Star - the Amalee version.

* * *

Why did it have to be so awkward? All she had to do was make an apology. The hard part was over; she found him at last.

An hour up river from where she had been revived he constructed a base camp, to which the dark haired teen located by following deliberate clues he placed along the riverside. Nozomi knew that he'd be expecting survivors, but the real surprise came after she wandered passed the tree line – stark naked and rather hungry.

Senkuu was not the least bit alarmed; he had been waiting for her. Though his face reddened at the state of her being; embarrassed and trying desperately to keep her assets hidden from him.

He hurried to get her something to wear, and though it was too large on her shapely body, she didn't seem to mind. Her only concern was on what had happened and where she was. Senkuu offered her some wine berries to sate her hunger, then explained to her what she wanted to know.

It was a lot to take in; she was a little confused. From what he revealed to her, she had woken up a week after him over three hundred decades into the future – the Stone World was the term he used to describe it. Senkuu promised that in time her mind would clear and she'd be able to better understand the future they had woken up in.

But in the meantime he was in need of her services; culinary, that is.

Once Nozomi found out about his gracious dream, she more than agreed to do the cooking. She promised to do everything she could to make sure his dream became a reality. As a result, she never got around to atoning for her mistake back in the past.

_Alas, _she thought. _Three months have passed since then and I still haven't found the time to say anything to him._

At this time, Nozomi was sitting near the fire as she stared off into nothing. Had it been that long? She thought by now he'd ask about it, but he hadn't. Didn't he want to know? Wasn't he even a little bit curious about her strange behavior towards him?

She knew this wasn't right; she knew that letting him go was the moral thing to do. His goal was more important than her emotional state when it came to him; irrational and prone to mistake.

Like at this moment, for instance.

Feeling the heat before she noticed it, the withdrawn teen let out a yelp of alarm as her shoe caught fire. How did she not realize her foot was so close to the fire pit? The cloth ignited so effortlessly. As she fought to put it out she didn't notice that Senkuu had heard and was hastily moving her way. He made it in time and poured a skin of water over the small flame, dowsing it.

Nozomi sighed in relief and let herself collapse onto the ground. She wasn't sure where her mind was.

"Be careful if you plan to sit next to the fire in those clothes," Senkuu articulated. His face heated up with embarrassment once he noticed that her dress had risen up and exposed her upper thighs to him. Before he continued to explain, he averted his eyes. "Cotton is one of the easiest fabrics to ignite because its texture is lightweight; I advised you before making clothing with it to be cautious."

She knew; home economics taught her a lot of noteworthy facts, but she didn't expect to one day have to use them.

"Is it too early to make flame retardant chemicals yet? I have a feeling I'm going to need it."

Senkuu laughed – a lovely noise that brought a smile to her face. "Yeah … it's a little early for that."

"Maybe it's best if you do the cooking for now on. It is a science after all," Nozomi teased. She leaned up on her elbows and glanced over at him; he was gorgeous.

"A skill I have no experience in," he confessed without shame. "But then, I don't need to know how if someone like you exists in this world."

_Someone like me? _She didn't understand. "There are hundreds of people like me; hundreds of cooks more proficient in the art. Senkuu … once you figure out how to save everyone, you can have as many people as you want."

Sure she loved home economics, but she was only valuable to Senkuu as long as someone else didn't take her place. This thought alone brought her to tears. Nozomi cared so much for him; it was unfortunate that she was the one to revive.

Her love for Senkuu kept her conscious while inside the stone, and now it brought her so much pain.

"Look at it this way," Senkuu began. He wasn't at ease with sentimental people, but while living with Nozomi for almost three months, he realized that the best way to keep her from lapsing into her thoughts was to soothe her with reassurance. She was a kind hearted person; words often destroyed her. "There were over 120 million people living in Japan before the strange light petrified them; more than ½ of them have perished. Out of those 60 million people left – give or take – you are the only one I want."

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you certain?"

Senkuu offered a brief smile. Her charming face was red with embarrassment. "Ten billion percent sure. With your help – along with Taiju and Yuzuriha – we are going to rebuild civilization with the use of science. There's no one I trust more."

A sudden sense of melancholy filled her.

_You trust me because we're friends. But––_

"I've been a terrible friend to you."

_Terrible? _Senkuu picked at his ear. "Eh! I don't think I heard you clear enough."

She pressed her lips together. Now would be the best time to say it; the best time to apologize. But she couldn't.

"It's not important. I … I need to patch my shoe."

She needed to be alone. Nozomi rose, brushed the dirt off her dress, and headed back to the fort. But, his voice stopped her before she got too far away from the fire pit.

"Nozomi … you need to tell me if there's something on your mind. At this point secrets are not something we need to keep from one another," he explained.

_All these years I've carried this weight on my shoulders; all these years I have loved you as much more than a friend. _Had he forgotten? She thought that wasn't possible for someone like him; someone who memorized the proper names of all the stars in sky. Maybe it wasn't as complex as she was making it seem; maybe he just didn't hear her that day.

Forcing a smile, Nozomi looked back at the wiry haired genius. Tears filled her eyes. "It's better for me if you have forgotten. I can manage with just that."

She turned around just as the tears began to fall, and climbed up the ladder that led up to the tree fort.

Senkuu looked into the fire, wearing a look of concern on his otherwise serene face. _Forgotten? What gave you that idea?_


	3. Truth

_Welcome home Senkuu. _Heat bloomed across her pale skin. By no means could she ever say this to him. Even thinking about it sped up her heart rate. It was a miracle he never commented on it; surely, he could hear it. She knew that she could. Like an 808 drum it kicked every time he was near.

That being the case, the inconsolable teen forced herself to keep away from him unless he needed help with something. Senkuu never brought up the strange and embarrassing conversation they had shared with one another a few days back. She pretended not to care, but her heart felt empty. At this point, a simple rejection would suffice; Nozomi was just too much of a coward to say anything.

She sighed and tossed aside the flimsy cloth she was working with. It was late, despite her understanding of the time. The moon was full and small stars littered the clear sky. Senkuu wasn't home yet, but she knew he wasn't far; most likely in the lab. What was she doing? Her mind had been so consumed by the thought of him that her task had taken a hit; the clothes that she was supposed to be preparing for Taiju were in a terrible state. The stitches were too loose; without proper tools she'd have to redo the entire outfit.

_I really am terrible at this. Yuzuriha could do it so much better._

If only she were around. Her and Taiju were still encased in stone, but Senkuu assured her that soon Taiju would unite with them. If only he were here now. She needed a rest from her wondering thoughts.

Nozomi sighed in annoyance and decided that if she was going to finish her work before turning in for the night, she needed a knife for the loose seams. Senkuu knew where one was. She stood up, extending her tired legs and eased out of the treehouse.

It was quiet as she came down from the wooden steps and ambled towards the temporary lab. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she pressed on and stood in the entrance way, locating Senkuu. He was, as expected hard at work on something.

"Senkuu … sorry to bother you, but do you maybe have a knife that I can borrow?"

He glanced over his shoulder and grinned. "It's in the bag attached to my hip. I'd get it for you, but––

Lifting up his arms, Nozomi noticed cloth around his thin fingers. She squeaked in alarm.

"How did you manage to do that to yourself?"

Senkuu hummed. "Trial and error."

Nozomi sighed; he was a pain sometimes. "Be careful. I shouldn't have to keep telling you this. What am I to do if you cut all your fingers off being reckless?"

"Lend me yours," he answered easily.

She quickly shut him down. "Not going to happen. You can't cook and without my skills we'd both starve."

"I won't argue with that," he agreed, returning back to work.

His cooking was terrible, but fortunately edible. Nozomi smiled and moved to his side, taking the knife from the bag. She saw the condition of his fingers and snorted.

"That's so like you," she mentioned. "As long as you can still use that big brain of yours, it wouldn't matter if you lost all your fingers."

Senkuu grinned. "Losing my fingers would be a heavy price to pay, but I'll never give up science."

"I've always loved that about you; always so devoted."

She felt her face immediately heat up. Honestly, she couldn't believe those words just left her mouth.

Senkuu sat down his tools and rubbed the back of his neck. "You love me; that's what you've been keeping from me. The last thing I remember you saying to me before we were encased in stone was that you were in love with me, and this entire time you've been acting like it never happened."

"I guess I always knew that you heard me … but none of that matters now that we've been encased in stone for 3,700 years. I … wanted to ask you for forgiveness; I never meant to fall so hard for someone I considered my friend," Nozomi admitted quietly.

He sighed. "Listen––

She quickly interrupted him, leaning in to place a kiss on his cheek. It was brief; sweet even, but enough to keep him quiet for a moment while she finished.

"It doesn't matter to me if you don't feel the same," she explained with a gentle smile. "I had time to think about it; your dream means more to me than anything, and I will follow you anywhere to help you reach it."

Nozomi felt much better. She was a bit heartbroken, but the weight on her shoulders had been lifted. Wishing Senkuu a quiet goodnight, she set the knife on the table and decided to turn in. Taiju wasn't due for another few nights, so she had plenty of time to prepare his clothes in the morning. She exited the lab and returned to the tree fort where she curled up in her makeshift sleeping bag and shut her tired eyes.

Senkuu coming into the room moments later alerted her. It wasn't until he leaned down beside her did, she glance up at him.

"I want to clear this up before you fall asleep," he mentioned.

Nozomi nodded and waited for him to continue.

"I don't hold it against you for liking me, but I can't start something with you … not with the world like this. It's going to take my entire focus to restore it and a relationship will only get in the way," he explained.

She understood. Sitting up, Nozomi reached forward and placed her hand on top of his. "Am I free to continue pursuing you then?

Senkuu picked his ear. "I can't stop you, but restoring the world from scratch will take a long time; waiting that long may change your mind."

_I waited for 3,700 years to see you again, so I doubt a century or more will change my mind, _she opted to say. Nozomi agreed with a nod.

"Can I … kiss you?"

Had he ever kissed someone before? He was ten billion percent sure the answer was no; he hadn't even thought about such a thing. Senkuu wasn't sure he'd even like it.

But then again, if he regarded it like another one of his experiments – trial and error – he might like it.

"Just once."

Nozomi widened her eyes in shock. He actually said yes. She smiled and brought her hand up his arm.

"Close your eyes."

He hesitantly listened and felt her lean closer until she was kissing him. Her lips were warm and strangely soft. Senkuu wasn't sure how to explain it, but as she pulled away, she leaned back in and brought her tongue across his bottom lip, then kissed him again. The hairs on his arms stood up and a warm sensation shook his body. Was he getting aroused from this?

Nozomi pulled away before he could explore the feeling more and smiled at him in a gentle way. Her cheeks were dusted in red.

"Thank you, Senkuu."

He was for once at a loss for words. Agreeing with a nod, he watched her yawn and ease back onto the floor where she had been resting when he came in.

"We should turn in for the night. There's much to do," she mentioned.

She was right, but as Senkuu laid down he wondered how far she would have gone had he let her. Had he even kissed back? His head was overflowing with new thoughts. As he watched her fall into a deep sleep he wondered if she liked it as much as he did.

A grin pulled at his lips. Of course, she did.


End file.
